Constance Dunlap: The Classic Exploits of the Woman Detective

Romance and suspense in this 1914 saga of female sleuth. Arthur B. Reeve's Constance Dunlap is unique in the annals of fictional women detectives. She begins her career not as a female Sherlock Holmes, but a female Raffles. In short, as a thief. But when the man she loves takes all the blame for her crimes, Constance's eyes are opened and she begins to reform. Soon she is using the skills, and underworld acquaintances, she developed during her career in crime to help the innocent and bring worse criminals to justice. Her classic saga has everything, heart-breaking romance, suspense, a heroine you start out doubting and wind up rooting for. They are also unique because rather than drawing on finger and foot prints for clues, Constance finds her clues in the emotional states of the suspects. Strong on romantic suspense, Constance Dunlap helped pioneer the depiction of Freud's ideas in popular literature. A must for fans of Violet Strange, Loveday Brooke, and other early-20th century women detectives.